November 1, 2005

THE SAME OL' RONNIE EARLE (via Perry vs World)

Hutchison, DeLay Cases Have Parallels (Jim Vertuno, Associated Press, 10/31/2005)

The same judge, the same prosecutor, the same defense attorney, the same Republican complaints of political payback, and the same courtroom strategy. The case against former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is playing out like a rerun of a Lone Star court drama that unfolded in 1993-94.

Back then, it was Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison fighting for her political life against Democratic District Attorney Ronnie Earle. Ultimately, she was acquitted of misconduct charges with the help of defense attorney Dick DeGuerin.

DeLay, another Texas Republican, has hired DeGuerin to defend him as well, and DeGuerin is employing some of the same legal and media tactics that worked last time _ accusing the district attorney of misconduct, branding the case a political vendetta and demanding the removal of a Democratic judge for alleged bias.

The parallels between the cases are striking.

"It's like `Twilight Zone.' You're seeing the same pattern," said Brian Berry, a GOP consultant who was Hutchison's campaign manager when she first ran for Senate.

The DeLay people have to be pleased about coverage like this from the AP.

Posted by kevin_whited at November 1, 2005 8:33 AM
Comments

Of course, anyone could have written this story a month ago when the indictment first came down, and you could even add Earle's botched prosecutions against Democrats Jim Mattox and Bob Bullock to the mix to show that while the guy can get high-profile Republican or moderate/conservative Democrats indicted, he is miles below the Mendoza Line in his conviction rate.

Posted by: John at November 1, 2005 9:35 AM

"I was indicted by Ronnie 'My Name Is' Earle, and
all I got was a huge bump in my national profile,
and a huge increase in campaign contributions"

it's a lot to fit on a t-shirt, I know, but that's the way it looks from here.

Posted by: gen. custer at November 1, 2005 10:03 AM

Where are the leftists demanding that Ronnie Earle hold a press conference to 'explain' his indictiment(s) of Tom DeLay? Why aren't they clamoring for live news and prosecutorial denouncements of corruption?

But ol' Ronnie can't feed the trolls - he doesn't have any meat. And corruption cuts both ways.

Posted by: jim hamlen at November 1, 2005 10:59 AM
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